ABSTRACT
Drawing on the explanatory power of the theoretical framework of path dependency and historical institutionalism provides the best available lens with which to develop a coherent account of the military’s influence in Pakistan. It is shown how the processes of path dependency generate patterns, making it appreciably difficult for polities to change direction. This approach then makes it possible to argue why the transition from a military to a civilian form of government in Pakistan remains problematic and incomplete. The importance of the theoretical framework lies in the inadequacy of accounts that have sought to investigate the problems of political development in Pakistan. The other part of the answer is possibly more eclectic but ultimately relates to the inadequacies within the literature again: there is a need to systematically examine the role of the most powerful institution, the military, within the state as, we argue, explanations based on the argument of ethnic or religious cleavages as a driver of political instability presents a limited perspective. An analysis of the institutions is therefore a fundamentally ontological position and it will be recognised as such from the beginning.
